One young mother’s contraction of abdominal cancerous lumps prompted a legal investigation into whether baby powder, which is talc-based, could plausibly increase the risk of ovarian cancer. The potential of talc to cause inflammation of the ovaries in women by traveling up the vaginal tract was a focal point of the trial. The reasoning hinged on whether talcum powder could cause inflammation, and if inflammation could increase the likelihood of cancer by a large probability percentage, whether manufacturing companies could viably be held accountable. In order to comment on this line of reasoning, an expert who frequently treated patients with ovarian cancer and had researched causal connections with baby powder was required.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
1. Do you routinely treat patients with ovarian cancer?
Expert Witness Response E-009661
As a professor of Gynecologic Oncology at an acclaimed cancer center, I am familiar with the issue of talcum powder and routinely treat patients with ovarian cancer. However, no one has published on this subject in years; within the medical field, it is no longer widely considered to be a risk factor. Prior to the 1970’s, though, it was thought to be one of the main causes of ovarian cancer.
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